Reader Corrie Patrick has just sent this photo from a trip today to St. Paul’s wonderful Como Conservatory, where the “corpse flower” is in bloom. And by, “in bloom,” we mean it stinks to high heaven… like death, they say.

“It did not disappoint,” Corrie says, as if you could be disappointed by the reeking smell of death from a plant whose Latin name means misshapen penis.

The bloom only lasts 1-2 days (it started opening yesterday afternoon) and the smell is much shorter. “By closing time tonight, there is the possibility that the smell will have disappeared and the spathe will have started to close up and again cover the base of the spadix,” the Conservatory’s website says.

It’s staying open late tonight for the occasion ( 9 pm).

It is named “BOB, too,” but not for the reason you might think. It was obtained from Gustavus Adolphus College’s chemistry professor Dr. Brian O‘Brien. It is 18 years old and has never bloomed before.

About the blogger

Bob Collins has been with Minnesota Public Radio since 1992, emigrating to Minnesota from Massachusetts where he was vice president of programming for Berkshire Broadcasting Company. Previously, he was an editor at the RKO Radio network in New York, and WHDH Radio in Boston. He is the founder of the MPR News’ website.

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Might those snazzy goggles worn by the reporter in Greece come in handy for this floral experience?

And nice self-deprecatory humor with the “BOB”.

(Do you have any Jewish blood in those Irish veins? There are theories that the lost tribe landed on the emerald isle, you know

Josh

Looks like I will have to stop by this afternoon.

http://mnprairieroots.wordpress.com Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Take the time to view, and smell, the corpse flower. This is one of those cases where you must experience the event to fully appreciate it. But if you can’t make it, here are some photos I took last July of Perry’s blossoming at Gustavus:

As you will see, some visitors came fully prepared to evade the flesh-rotting odor.

Jim Shapiro

Too bad ( or in this case, perhaps good thing) that John Waters’ “Smell-O-Vision” never caught on.

cara

I’m going tonight at 8. I hope some, but not all, of the fragrance will be left.

http://davincidad.wordpress.com John

Just came back from visiting. A volunteer says it’s not nearly as bad as yesterday but you can still get a really good whiff of the odor if you stand towards the right wall as you enter the alcove it is in.